parchment

Ingredients

animal skin, lime, calcite, dolomite

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The parchment was prepared using traditional methods possibly involving grinding with a mortar or treatment of the animal skin with lime (p. 143). Analysis identified a considerable amount of calcite (CaCO3) and/or dolomite phase in the samples (p. 143). Reference samples (P1) were described as LA-parchment, purple dyed (p. 144).

Evidence

"XRD analysis was by chipping, the calcite can be assigned most likely to the parchment. ... We can find a tiny amount of a corrosion product for both ink samples, i. e. silver chloride (AgCl; chlorargyrite) even in the unaged and untreated sample."

Remarks

The parchment contains elements such as Ca, K, Si, Al, and O (p. 139). Calcite found in the samples is attributed to the preparation procedures or parchment treatment (p. 143). Sample Pe1 was taken specifically from parchment without ink on the inner edge of folio 22 for comparison (p. 143). Degradation is noted to be caused by a combination of internal and external factors including contact with chlorine-containing media like salty seawater (p. 151).